Folding bed



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

P. A. COOPER. FOLDING BED.

Patented Nov. 16,

d ZgOv/M I/ WITNESSES ATTORNEYS.

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2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

F. A. COOPER.

FOLDING BED.

Patented Nov. 16, 1897.

WITNESSES A TTORNEVS.

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UNITED {STATES PATENT FFICE FRANK A. COOPER, OF BROOKLYN, NEVV YORK.

FOLDING-BED.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Y Letters Patent No. 593,922 datedNovember 16, 1897. Application filed January 14, 1897. Serial No.619,228. (No model.)

To CLZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK A. COOPER, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kingsand State of New York, haveinvented a new and Improved Folding Bed, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to an improvement in folding beds of the uprighttype.

The object of the invention is to so construct the bed that the actionthereof will be contained entirely in the body of the bed, leaving thecasing unobstructed except by the brace-rod employed to strengthen thewings and prevent them from spreading.

A further object of the invention is to provide the body of the bed witha weighted folding head-rest and the base or head portion of the bedwith a pendulum or swinging weight when a weight is needed at thatpoint.

Another object of the invention is to provide cam-grooves in the siderails of the body of the bed, adapted to receive rollers carried by theabove-mentioned brace-rod, whereby the bed-body is pivoted or hung inthe casing. A further object is to provide a removable end wall for eachcam-groove, admitting of the body being readily connected with ordisconnected from the casing, which removable ends serve as stops,limiting the outward movement of the bed when the latter is down.

Another object of the invention is to so hang the body of the bed in itscase that the latter will not tip over should the legs supporting thefoot of the bed be accidentally displaced when thebed is down, causingthe foot of the bed-to drop to the floor. 7

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of theseveral parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth,.

and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be ha to the accompanying drawings, forming a art ofthis specification,

in which similar characters of reference indie I catecorresponding'parts in allthe figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved bed, the body of the bedbeing down or in a horizontal position. Fig. 2 is a verposition and thelegs as folded thereon. Fig. 4 is a vertical section through the bedwhen folded, the bed-bodybeing shown in dotted lines as partiallyraised. Fig. 5 is an enlarged longitudinal section of the head end ofthe bed and a portion of the casing, illustrating the manner in whichthe body of the bed issions at the head of the bed-body.

The casing A consists of side pieces 10, each provided at the forwardportion of its lower end with a wing 11, the side pieces of the easingbeing connected at the top by a backboard 12. A rod 13 issecured in eachwing, being held from turning therein by nuts 14: or their equivalents,and the inner ends of these rods are threaded to receive a turnbuckle14*. These adjustable rods are adapted, primarily, to strengthen thewings l1 and prevent themfrom warping or spreading.

Near the outer end-of each rod 13 a roller 15 is loosely mounted, asshown in Fig. 7, and each roller is provided at itsinner face with aflange 16. A rail 17. is connected by a hinge 21 with the head end ofthe bed-body B,which is of box construction, and each rail at its rearend is pivotally attached to an arm 18, which arms are pivotallyconnected with the inner faces of the sides of thecasing A by means ofpins 19 passed through one of a shown in Figs. 1 and 4, the hinges 21being placed upon the upper surfaces of the siderails of the bed-bodyand the extension-rails 17, the top edges of the extension-rails whenthe bed is down being flush with the upper edges of the side rails ofthe body proper.

The inner portion of the bed-body, or that portion which is between thewings and constitutes the base of the body when folded in the casing, ismuch deeper than the recess of the body, as shown at bin the drawings.In the deeper portions of the sides of the body of the bed cam-slots 22are made. These slots extend from the inner end of the body horizontallya predetermined distance in direc IOO tion of the foot and are thencurved downward in direction of the bottom of the bedbody or its frontpanel. The walls of the camslots are protected by metal tracksorbindingstrips 23, as is shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 5.

The rollers 15 of the brace-rod 13 travel in the cam-slots 22. Therollers are prevented from sliding on the rods by means of suitablecollars, as shown in Fig. 7, and the flanges of the rollers will engagewith the inner faces of the binding-strips or tracks 23, thus preventingthe sides of the bed-body from being sprung 0r warped, holding the saidside pieces likewise in the position in which they are placed, and asthe wings are also prevented from warping when the bed is closed thesides of the bed-body will fit quite close at all times to the sides ofthe casing.

A wear-plate 24 is secured to the inner face of each side board or rail'of the body, extending, preferably, from the front edge to the loweredges of the cam-slots, and a like plate 25 is attached to the said sideboards or rails above the cam-slots. A stop -block 26 is hinged to eachlower wear-plate 24, and each stop-block extends within the open end ofa cam-slot 22, each stop-block being also provided with a flange 27, thesaid flanges bearing against the upper wear-plates 25 when thestop-blocks are in position, as shown in Fig. 5. The forward or innerfaces 28 of the stop-blocks are concaved, as shown in Fig. 4, andreceive the rollers 15 when the body of the bed is down or is in itshorizontal position.

It is evident that by dropping the stopblocks 26 downward to theposition shown in dotted lines in Fig. 6 the rollers may be readilyentered. into the cam-slots or removed therefrom as occasion may demand.The stop blocks are held within the cam-slots 22 by any suitable form oflatch, that shown in the drawings consisting of hooks 29, attached tothe plates 25, entering the eyes 30, secured upon the flanges of theblocks.

The head-rest 31 is in the nature of a board and extends from oneextension-arm 17 to the other, as illustrated in Fig. 1, and upon theback of the said head-rest '31 one or more weights 32 are secured. It isofttimes necessary that more weight shall be used than could beconsistently placed on the head-rest. hen such is the case, a swingingor a pendulum weight 33 is provided, which is hung in the deeper portion(2 of the body of the bed, the front panel or bottom of the bed beingcut away to admit of the weight being placed in position, as shown inFig. 5, and the weight is provided with upwardly-extending arms 34 atits ends, looselyhung upon arod 35, which extends from one side board orrail of the bedbody to the other.

The foot of the bed, when in its lower or horizontal position, issupported through the medium of legs 36, connected by a cross-bar 37,the legs and cross-bar having a hinged connection with the front face ofthe front panel of the bed-body. When the legs are supporting the bottomof the bed, they will be immediately below the foot-board 38, as shownin Figs. 1 and 2, but when the body of the bed is in an upright positionthe legs will drop downward and lie in engagement with the aforesaidfront panel of the bed, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The movement of thelegs to and from the position named may be accomplished automatieallyinmany ways, among others that shown in the drawings, especially thatshown in Figs. 2 and 3, in which it will be observed that a bracket 40is projected from the inner face of the foot-board at or near its centerin the direction of the panel of the bed-body. An angle or elbow lever41 is fulcrumed upon the free end of the bracket 40, the arm of thelever extending in direction of the top of the foot-board being longerthan the other member, and the longer member has aweight 42 located atits free end. The shorter end of the lever extends out through a slot 39in the panel of the bedbody and is pivotally connected with a link 43,which in its turn is pivot-ally attached to the cross-bar 37, carryingthe legs 36. lVhen the body of the bed is carried to an uprightposition, the weight of the legs will cause them to gradually fall indirection of the front face of the panel of the said bed, as shown indotted lines in Fig. 4, carrying the weighted end of the lever in adownwardly direction until when the legs lie close to the said panel, asshown in Fig. 3,.the weighted arm will be substantially horizontal, andthe link 43 and the short arm of the lever will constitute two arms of atriangle. \Vhen the bed is dropped, the weight of the legs willgradually overcome the heft of the weight 42, and by the time thebed-body nearly reaches its normal position the legs will be straightbeneath the head-board, as shown in Fig. 2, and the shorter arm of thelever 41 and the link 43 will be in end alinement, or in the same plane,while the weight 42 will be sub stantially in engagement with the innerface of the foot-board. It is evident that in the event the legs shouldby any possibility be forced from their vertical position while the bedis down and the foot of the bed should drop to the floor it will have noeffect on the casing, since the body of the bed will simply movebackward, the extensions 17 moving in an upwardly direction.

In closing the bed the body of said bed may be pushed inward, ifdesired, and thus carried upward, moving upon its pivot, whereupon theextension-arms or the head-rest section of the bed will break away fromthe bedbody and will be carried to the rear, assuming a positionsubstantially parallel with the front of the bed-body as the latter iscarried up within the casing. It is not necessary,

however, that the bed-body should first be carried inward, since it maybe lifted straight By reaupward with equally good results.

son of the cam-slots 22 the bed of its own volition, after beingslightly raised, will assume a vertical position, and when the rollersreach the curved end portions of the cam-slots, which will be in avertical position when the bed is fully elevated, the said rollers willconstitute a lock for the bed-body, preventing it accidentally droppingor being moved from place when violently shaken or disturbed.-

In Fig. 8 I have illustrated a slight modification of the hanger, whichmay be substituted for the swinging or adjustable arms 18. This modifiedform of hanger is in the nature of a segmental bar or plate l5, havingan inner track 46 or a cam-groove, the ends of the plate or bar being.secured to the sides of the casing at the rear vertical edges thereof,and each extension arm or rail 17 of the bedbody will under thisconstruction be provided with a friction-roller 44 to travel in thecamgroove-4t6 or upon the tracks of the hanger, which will be the sidewalls of the groove.

- Having thus described my invention, I

claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent? 1. In a foldingbed, a casing, a rod connecting opposite sides of the casing, a bed-bodyhaving curved slots in its side rails, receiving the connecting-rod ofthe casing, a head rest having a hinged connection with the body of thebed, and a guide carried by the casing, in which the head-rest of thebed has movement, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a folding bed, the combination, with a casing having wings, and abrace-bar connecting the said wings, of a bed-body provided with slotsin its side rails at its head portion, the said slots being cam-slots,extension-rails having a hinged connection with the side rails of thebody, a cross-bar forming a head-rest, connected with the saidextension-rails, arms pivotally connected with the extension-rails andpivotally attached to the said casing, and a support for the footportion of the bed-body, as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a folding bed, the combination, with a casing having wings and abrace-bar connecting said wings, of a bed-body fulcrumed upon the saidvbrace-bar, the brace-bar en'tering the curved slots in the side rails ofthe said body, a weighted head-rest having a hinged connection with thehead portion of the bed-body, arms pivoted to the casing and pivotallyconnected with the said head-rest, legs connected with the foot portionof the said body, and means for controlling the said legs when the bodyis raised and lowered, as and for the purpose specified. I

4. The combination of a main portion,'a bracket standing thereon, abell-crank lever fulcrumed to the bracket one end of the bellcrank leverbeing weighted, a member hinged to the main portion, and a link betweenthe bell-crank lever and 'said hinged member, substantially asdescribed.

5. In a folding bed, a casing, a shaft passing between opposite sides ofthe casing, a bed-body having curved slots receiving the shaft, thesides of the bed-body respectively lying snugly against the inner facesof the sides of the casing, and two flanged rollers carried on the shaftand respectivelyrunning in the grooves in the bed-body, the flanges ofthe rollers running respectively against the inner faces of the sideportions of the bed- -body whereby to prevent the inward movement of thesides of the bed-body, substantially as described.

6. A folding bed having a casing, a shaft passed through the casing andholding opposite walls thereof, a bed-body each side of which has aclosed slot, the sides of the bedbody being respectively in snugengagement with the inner sides of the casing, and the shaft beingpassed through the slots in the bed-body, and two rollers carried on theshaft, the rollers respectively running in the slots of the bed-body andhaving flanges bearing against the i'nnerfaces of. the sides of thebed-body, substantially as described.

7. The combinationof a casing, a shaft run transversely through fromopposite sides of the casing and rigidly attached to said sides toholdthe same rigid, and a bed-body mounted to swing in the casing in afixed arc, the bed-body having slots curved in conformity with the arcand receiving the shaft whereby to guide the bed-body on the shaft.

FRANK A. COOPER.

Witnesses:

EUGENE MCADAMS, HARRY O. CONRAD.

